The Westernization of the Egyptian System of Higher Education and Implications for National Governance.

• In Event: Middle East SIG Highlighted Session:The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same? Education Across the MENA After the Uprisings

Abstract

The Westernization of the Egyptian System of Higher Education and Implications for National Governance.

• Purpose of the paper:

Persistent unrest and violence in Egypt has brought attention to conflicting values found within Egypt’s system of higher education. While historic institutions such as Al Azhar University in Cairo continue to promote traditional Islamic views of governance, the overall policy and governance structure of Egypt’s higher education system continue to move rapidly toward the west. The paper explores the structure and function of Egypt’s higher education system in fostering views of governance, including when views may conflict with each other. Of particular interest is the framework within which Egyptian higher education resides, including missions and visions found within the Egyptian Department of Education, policy approaches in Egyptian accreditation and certification processes, sources of higher education funding, and the training of Egypt’s higher education leadership.

Specific goals include:

• A summary of how the system engages values and change through document analysis.
• A careful review of the mission, vision, and structure of the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education.
• A review of the Egyptian system’s structure, funding, and policy approach.
• The roles of Western educated leaders within the system and their potential impact on policy and vision.
• The roles of traditionally educated leaders within the system and their potential impact on policy and vision.

• Main perspective or theoretical/conceptual framework utilized:

The qualitative methodology utilizes a grounded theory approach, not seeking to prove or disprove theories or current understanding, but to operate through a systematic approach that unveils levels of meaning, ultimately creating a deeper understanding of the emerging vision for governance within an Egyptian context.

• Analytical methods and research design:

The paper will utilize a comprehensive approach to policy and document analysis, interviews, and exhaustive use of scholarly books and articles focused on Egyptian Higher Education.

• Data sources and evidence:

The paper was largely written during a Coolidge Research Fellowship at Columbia University in New York City in 2014. Data sources include an exhaustive bibliography of academic research on the Egyptian system of Higher Education, interviews with Egyptian higher education leaders, web sites of Egyptian higher education organizations, and website, policies, and documents from Egyptian State Educational Ministries.

• Results and/or conclusions:

Typical to many Middle Eastern countries, aggressive policies and approaches by organizations such as the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) and the World Bank have pushed for the rapid development of a Western-styled system of Egyptian higher education. Nearly all of Egypt’s higher education leaders are trained in Western institutions, with little formal training in traditional approaches to education or governance. Policy and document analysis demonstrates outsized influence of Western organizations within Egyptian higher education. Egypt, for example, maintains a “National Committee of UNESCO,” which has provided consulting to the Ministry of Higher Education since the Committee’s creation immediately following the Second World War in 1946.

• Significance of the study to the field of comparative or international education:

The paper will provide a unique and holistic narrative of inquiry into a primary issue in international education. The topic is very relevant to comparative and international education issues today. The research approach is unique in that it uses a grounded theory methodology, beginning with a macro view that consistently steps down toward a micro/personal perspective achieved through interviews and observations.

Author

• Mark Meehan, Rivier University